The Happiest And Unhappiest Cities To Work In Right Now

If you happen to work in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh or Fort Lauderdale and you’re constantly down in the dumps—don’t worry; you’re not alone

These three cities are where some of the nation’s unhappiest workers are, according to online career site CareerBliss.com.

It’s no surprise that most of the unhappiest places have frigid winters or sweltering summers. Unwelcomed snowstorms and dreaded heat waves can affect your happiness--but so can income, workplace environment, and career opportunities (or lack thereof).

“Happiness is based on a multitude of factors,” says Matt Miller, chief technology officer and co-founder of CareerBliss. “It is clear that employees need not only a positive and rewarding work culture, but opportunities to grow within their company and their city.”

This list of the happiest and unhappiest cities to work in, compiled by CareerBliss, is based on analysis of more than 20,000 independent employee reviews from 2013.

Employees all over the country were asked to evaluate ten factors that affect workplace happiness. Those include one’s relationship with the boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation, daily tasks, and control over the work done does on a daily basis.

They evaluated each factor on a five-point scale and also indicated how important it was to their overall happiness. The numbers were combined to find an overall rating of employee happiness for each respondent, and then they were sorted by geographic location to find the happiest and unhappiest cities for employees. (Note: These aren’t necessarily the “best” and “worst” cities to live in; they’re simply the places where workers are most and least happy right now, according to CareerBliss data.)

Heading the list of the unhappiest U.S. metro areas to work in is Cincinnati, Ohio, with an index score of 3.32. Cincy workers expressed the most pessimism in the growth opportunities and compensation categories, which scored 2.63 and 2.90, respectively.

In the No. 2 spot is Orlando-Kissimmee, Fla. It earned an index score of 3.52. Workers there are most dissatisfied with their growth opportunities, and happiest with their colleagues.

The third unhappiest city to work in is Indianapolis, which earned an index score of 3.55.

Rounding out the top five are Denver-Aurora, Colo., and Pittsburgh, Pa. These cities earned index scores of 3.56 and 3.58, respectively.

If you’re hoping to smile more at work, think about moving to D.C., Salt Lake City or San Diego. Those are three of the happiest places to work.

But the most content workers of all are in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. metro area. With an index score of 3.93, employees in San Jose said they are more than satisfied with the people they work with and their daily tasks.

“The people you work with has a great impact on happiness,” Miller says. “In the cities that ranked highest, co-workers and one’s direct manager had a great influence on how that city fared compared to others.”

Washington D.C. holds the No. 2 spot, closely followed by San Francisco. These cities earned scores of 3.927 and 3.925, respectively.

“Cities like San Jose and San Francisco offer a large concentration of technology jobs that typically offer a high salary and opportunity for growth," Golledge says. "In addition, people in these cities stated their companies provided fun and innovative work environments."

Las Vegas (3.89) and Salt Lake City (3.84) round out the top five.

“Bigger is not always better when it comes to finding happiness,” says Heidi Golledge, chief executive and co-founder of CareerBliss. “As you can see, mid-size cities can also provide rewarding and positive work environments for people.”

She says everyone should be able to find a job that truly makes them happy. “Through our unique tools, three million jobs, company reviews and salary information, we want every person who is looking for a job in 2014 to be equipped with the resources they need to find true career bliss,” Golledge concludes. “Understanding where people are happy can be a key factor in deciding where to make your next career move.”

Click here to see CareerBliss’ complete lists of the 10 happiest and 10 unhappiest cities to work in.